249 



THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 



The superintendent of the far-famed Yellowstone National Park, in his 

 report for the year 1890, makes the following remarks : 



" That the dedication in 1872 of the Yellowstone National Park as a herit; 

 wonders for the enjoyment of the people was a wise and timely act few will now 

 question. 



" The Snake River Fork of the Columbia, and Green River Fork of the 

 Colorado of the Gulf of California (Pacific waters), and nearly all the other great 

 rivers of that portion of the continent, including the Jefferson, Madison, and 

 Gallatin Forks, and the Yellowstone, Big Horn, and other branches of the 

 '.ri-Missis-dppi Atlantic waters, to a great extent radiate from hot springs 

 or spouting geysers within or adjacent to the great National Park, situated 

 mainly in North-western Wyoming territory and also embracing portions of 

 Idaho and Montana. There can V 'oubt that the modern sulphur basins, 



sal ses, hissing fumeroles. and spouting geysers are only dwind 1 mnants of 



the ancient volcanoes and vast and long continued eruptions of lava, which, in 

 the region of ational Park, characterized the elevation of the Great Plains 



and Rocky Mountain Ranges from the oozy bed of a shallow ancient sea. 



" It is also evident that at some subsequent but remote period of time many 

 of these mountain slopes were at an elevation of from 6,000 to 10,000 feet, 

 covered with dense forests of timber, in size fairly rivalling those upon the 

 Pacific coast, and that by some oscillation in the elevation of these regions, by 

 era >hes, mud, and slime, like those which covered Pompeii and 



Herculaneum, or other all-powerful and long recurring agencies, forests have 

 been crushed or covered, often many hundred feet deep, by conglomerate breccias 

 or other volcanic material. 



" Here erosion of the elements, or the blast, or pick and shovel of the tourist, 

 unearth this ancient timber, which is often petrified entire into a perfect tree or 

 log of stone ; other timbers, while retaining their form, into opal or chalcedony, 

 with amethyst or other crystalized cavities, matchless in shape, color and beauty, 

 which, for cabinet specimens are unequalled elsewhere in nature and unrivalled by 

 art. 



" Many hot springs and mineral streams now petrify timber or coat it with 

 sparkling lime or silica, build geyser cones and many beautiful forms i cal- 



lization. but they are all clearly distinct, and mainly much inferior to those of 

 the closing eruptive period. This wonderful region is really less one large park 

 than a group of smaller ones, partially or wholly isolated, upon both sides of the 

 continental divide, much lower in the park than the nearly unbroken surrounding 

 mountain range-. Its average altitude probably exceeds that of Yellowstone 

 Lake, which is some 8,000 feet or nearly a half mile higher than Mount 

 Washington. Its few yawning, ever difficult, often impassabL n-approaches 



along foaming torrents. The superstitious awe inspired by the his-ung sprii 

 sulphur basins, and spouting geysers ; and the infrequent visits of the surround- 

 ing Pagan Indians have combined to singularly delay the exploration of this 

 truly mystic land. 



" The animals of the region are the bison or mountain buffalo, elk, white- 

 tailed deer, black-tailed deer, prong-horned antelope, big-horn sheep, bears, 

 mountain lion or cougar, wolves, foxes, skunks, badger, rockdog, procupine, 

 rabbits, rats, mice, burrowing moles, squirrels, chipmunks, beaver, otter, mink, 

 muskrat, etc., birds, fishes, reptiles, and insects. 



